Nestlé Purina PetCare has acquired a majority stake in Tails.com, a direct-to-consumer, tailor-made dog nutrition business based in Richmond, West London. With the rapid growth of personalised pet nutrition, as well as subscription services, Nestlé Purina’s shareholding in this digital first business offers significant growth opportunities for both companies.
Launched in 2014, Tails.com has brought tailored dog nutrition to consumers at affordable prices. The company was early to identify changes in the way consumers want to shop and care for their pets, and married digital technology, food innovation and new manufacturing techniques to provide food individually tailored according to factors such as a dog’s age, breed, size and level of activity.
Powered by a proprietary nutritional algorithm developed by vets, nutritionists and software engineers, the company now feeds more than 100,000 dogs in the UK. Tails.com customers also benefit from a convenient subscription service with home delivery, as well as access to an in-house nutrition support team. Tails.com will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity, with co-founder and CEO James Davidson at the helm.
Calum Macrae, Regional Director, Nestlé Purina PetCare said:
“This is a real vote of confidence for the UK pet care market which is one of the biggest in Europe. The UK has a vibrant tech scene and is the home of many great start-ups. London is one of the main hubs in Europe for digital and technological innovation and Tails.com has grown out of that. We are very excited about working together and very much looking forward to the future.”
Stefano Agostini, CEO, Nestlé UK & Ireland said:
“Tails.com is a hugely successful UK based business and we offer them a warm welcome to the Nestlé and Purina family. Pet care is a very important focus area for us and this investment, in a truly innovative UK business, helps put Purina at the forefront of current trends while allowing Tails to take their unique business model much further, much faster.
“I know that Tails will benefit greatly from Purina’s support and I am delighted that Tails.com will add a brand new dimension to our offering for pet owners both here and overseas.”
Read more about the announcement in our press release and find out more from Calum Macrae, Purina Regional Director and Purina EMENA CEO, Bernard Meunier in our Q&A.
ENDS